1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to dental prosthetic devices, and particularly to a pontic which uses less metal than conventional pontics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The arrival of porcelain-fused-to-metal, in about 1958, brought a new era to dentistry, and with it, many problems. The patience and skills of dental technicians, with time, were able to solve many of these problems, but the problems that remain are still troublesome.
One of the remaining problems involves casting the framework of the product which is to receive the covering layer of porcelain, and this problem stems from the fact that a replacement tooth is much greater in bulk than the natural teeth which will abut the pontic. This requires that thick, heavy pontics be cast, which often results in porous castings. Further, the conventional castings used in porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations is solid precious or non-precious metal, such as gold, and tends to be rather heavy and highly conductive to heat, causing the patient great discomfort and resulting dissatisfaction with the restoration.
The casting used in porcelain-fused-to-metal pontics is generally made in the conventional manner of constructing pontics by the well-known investment or "lost wax" process. A discussion of the use of this process as it applies to the manufacture of dental prosthetic devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,211, issued May 17, 1977, to A. E. Strauss.